July 30, 2018

Democrat-run cities and states have promised public employee unions generous pensions for years, and now the proverbial chickens are coming home to roost. The unfunded liabilities in places from New Jersey and New York to Illinois and the three west coast states, the pension hole is approximately $5 trillion - about the size of the economy of Japan.

This is not a recoverable situation, and it's hard to see how so many people could have failed to see this day coming.

July 27, 2018

"The people, with a good idea and a good reason to spend their tax money, people wouldn’t actually mind paying more taxes," said another Ocasio-Cortez supporter.

Actually, I would mind. We pay too much in taxes and fees as it is, but these idiots want to take as much as 50% of your income. Because they want free stuff: check out the so-called "platform" the 28 year-old pushes.

These clowns have never held an actual job; in fact their brains are still in the development stage.

"All of the free things? Well, some of it should come from taxes, but the government should pay for it," another young lady said. When Phillips noted that "the government is funded by taxes," she responded, "Yes."

So the government should buy free stuff for everybody, because it's free stuff. The spooky thing is that so many of the kids really believe that load.

Give the Vegetation system kudos; they've successfully grown an entire generation of vegetables.

July 19, 2018

NEW JERSEY (FOX5NY) - Never short on ideas for things to tax, lawmakers in New Jersey are considering a tax on tap water.

The proposal is being floated by State Sen. Bob Smith D-Middlesex, who is trying to say it's not actually a tax but a 'user fee'.

So it's another tax; politicians love to claim that fees aren't taxes, and this one would only be an additional $32 or so for the "average" user. Californians had better hope that governor Moonbeam doesn't hear about this....

June 16, 2018

When the Obama Foundation first sought to lease parts of Jackson Park three years ago for its project, it convinced the city of Chicago that it planned to construct an official library to be managed by federal officials. But after receiving the lease, Obama suddenly decided to not include his official presidential library within the center.

Local parks activists filed a lawsuit last month to block the construction of Obama’s presidential center on the basis that it’s a fraud. But then, it's Chicago; fraud's been part of the culture there for at least the past half-century.

The lawsuit argued that while the purpose of transferring the land was to house the official Obama presidential library, the center will not include his presidential papers, only a digital copy.

Whatever, since it's going to go up on the South Side, they'd better make sure the place is bullet-proof.

June 05, 2018

SEATTLE - Seattle lawmakers are discussing the idea of requiring home and landowners to get a permit and pay a fee to cut down a tree six inches in diameter or larger.

Nope, you don't own that land, the city does. I'll pay attention to the clowns when they start paying my property taxes.

Hasn't happened yet, so I continue to ignore them. Here in Portland, they expect "owners" to buy a permit just to trim a tree - and after you pay, some bureaucrat tells you whether or not you can do it. The fee is, of course, nonrefundable.

May 30, 2018

The lack of economic freedom in California compared to Texas is likely why, according to census, from 2012 to 2016, a net of 521,052 Californians left the state. Texas was their most popular destination, with a net of 114,413 Californians moving 1,300 miles east to the Lone Star State.

California has the nation’s highest marginal income tax rate and ranks in the worst five for state and local tax burden.

As well, Texas isn't a "sanctuary" state.

Build the wall - along the California border. They're like locusts: once the destroy one field, the move on to the next.

May 23, 2018

Twenty cities are competing for Amazon’s second headquarters. Then there’s Seattle, Amazon’s current headquarters, which the city apparently wouldn’t mind driving away.

Seattle’s city council unanimously approved a $250 “tax” per full-time employee on businesses with more than $20 million in annual revenue.

That was last week; this week, they're proposing to jack up property taxes as well. Earlier this year, they imposed a tax on evil sugary beverages, which unsurprisingly resulted in people picking up their drinks outside Seattle City Limits.

At the rate their city council's going, Seattle will soon become a place where only the uber-rich (and the homeless) can live.

In the real world, that's $1.61 per liter. 1 L = 0.264172052 gal US. And actually, the cost is closer to $6 USD per gallon, though it'll hit $8 soon enough. Still, if you have a ten-gallon tank in your vehicle, a fill-up will run you about $60 now.

Former Liberal Member of Parliament Dan McTeague, who now heads the petroleum industry watchdog GasBuddy.com, told CBC News that Vancouver has the dubious honor of having the highest gas prices anywhere in North America, from Alaska to Mexico. Vancouver was one of the first cities in Canada to proudly unveil a carbon tax that has continued to escalate year after year.

But as noted here yesterday, Gov. Moonbeam is doing his best to play catch-up by increasing vehicle registration fees and increasing fuel taxes, and vows to fight any attempts to reject the increases through the initiative process.

Carbon taxes! They have no effect upon the environment, much less the climate - but plenty of impact on your wallet.